Special edition “Light It Up Blue” Skylanders figures released for Autism Awareness Month.

Sky High…
At SkeletonPete we’ve been fans of Activision’s Skylanders, since Ken Pierce (PiercingMetal.com) and I first experienced a pre-release demo of Spyro’s Adventure at the Toy Industry Association Toy Fair almost six years ago. The combination of video game play with collector figures that “entered” the screen was a stroke of genius. Since then the company has built success upon success, turning the product into a collossal licensing franchise. Along the way the characters have been giant-sized, captured in crystal traps, split into swappable pieces, presented as a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon, and more recently given supercharged vehicles to traverse land, sea and air. Our first encounter with the Superchargers was at last summer’s Toy Insider Sweet Suite press event. Check the images below.

The Skylanders team has also had some fun turning out seasonally themed figures like their Valentine “Love Potion” Pop Fizz for collectors to ferret out in the toy store aisles. Now, we’re happy to learn Activision, in partnership with world science and advocacy organization Autism Speaks, has taken the opportunity to do something similar in support of Autism Awareness Month.

Power Blue Splat goes into action, to raise awareness of autism in her Splatter Splasher Vehicle.

Light It Up Blue (#LIUB)…Superchargers characters Trigger Happy and Splat, along with their respective vehicles Gold Rusher and Splatter Splasher, have been produced in Autism Speaks’ signature color, and will appear in their “Power Blue” and white visage in on-screen play as well, making a direct connection from the physical to the virtual world. This effectively gives those players on the autistic spectrum their own team, and a very special way to track their accomplishments.

Josh Taub, senior vice president of Skylanders Product Management notes, “Since the debut of the franchise, we’ve heard from parents that Skylanders plays a special role in the lives of their kids on the autism spectrum.” Along with the special figures Activision Blizzard, Inc. is launching an employee donation matching fundraising, and giving them an opportunity to to participate in the Autism Speaks Walk being held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on April 2 which has been designated World Autism Awareness Day.

Through similar events and philanthropies Autism Speaks has raised over 570 million dollars to fund worldwide research for treatment and cure of the range of conditions associated with autism. Please visit their website to learn more about their efforts.

“Light It Up Blue” for Autism awareness with this special edition Trigger Happy Skylander Supercharger.

SkeletonPete Says…
Ties-In’s for worthy causes like this one make the Skylander universe even more special, and we’re thrilled to see Activison use the prodigious popularity of their flagship product in this manner.